Stephen Cohen
Encyclopedia
Stephen Frand Cohen is an American scholar of Russian studies
. His academic work concentrates on developments in Russia since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and the country's relationship with the United States.
, Russian and Yiddish, emigrated from Lithuania
(then part of Tsarist Russia) to United states. Stephen Cohen was born in 1938 in Owensboro, Kentucky
, and attended Indiana University
, where he earned a B.S. degree and an M.A. degree in Russian Studies. While studying in England, he went on a four-week trip to the Soviet Union, where he became interested in its history and politics. Cohen, who received his Ph.D. in government and Russian studies at Columbia University, became a professor of politics and Russian studies at Princeton University in 1968, where he taught until 1998, and has been teaching at New York University since.
Cohen is well known in both Russian and American circles. He is a close personal friend of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
, advised former President George H.W. Bush in the late 1980s, helped Nikolai Bukharin
's widow rehabilitate his name during the Soviet era, and met Joseph Stalin
's daughter, Svetlana
.
Since 1998, Cohen has been professor of Russian Studies and History at New York University
, where he teaches a course titled Russia Since 1917. He previously taught at Princeton University
. He has written several books, including, Rethinking the Soviet Experience: Politics and History Since 1917; Sovieticus: American and Soviet Realities; Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution: A Political Biography, 1888-1938; Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post-Communist Russia; and most recently, Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War. He is also a CBS News
consultant as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
. Cohen has appeared on the Charlie Rose Show thirty times as of May 2007.
Cohen has a son and a daughter from his first marriage to opera singer Lynne Blair, from whom he is divorced. Cohen is now married to Katrina vanden Heuvel
, editor of the progressive magazine The Nation
, where he is also a contributing editor. They have one daughter.
Russian Studies
Russian studies is a field of study first developed during the Cold War. It is an interdisciplinary field crossing history and language studies. It is closely related to Soviet and Communist studies...
. His academic work concentrates on developments in Russia since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and the country's relationship with the United States.
Education and career
Stephen F. Cohen's grandfather, while speaking only LithuanianLithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
, Russian and Yiddish, emigrated from Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(then part of Tsarist Russia) to United states. Stephen Cohen was born in 1938 in Owensboro, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and attended Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
, where he earned a B.S. degree and an M.A. degree in Russian Studies. While studying in England, he went on a four-week trip to the Soviet Union, where he became interested in its history and politics. Cohen, who received his Ph.D. in government and Russian studies at Columbia University, became a professor of politics and Russian studies at Princeton University in 1968, where he taught until 1998, and has been teaching at New York University since.
Cohen is well known in both Russian and American circles. He is a close personal friend of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, advised former President George H.W. Bush in the late 1980s, helped Nikolai Bukharin
Nikolai Bukharin
Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin , was a Russian Marxist, Bolshevik revolutionary, and Soviet politician. He was a member of the Politburo and Central Committee , chairman of the Communist International , and the editor in chief of Pravda , the journal Bolshevik , Izvestia , and the Great Soviet...
's widow rehabilitate his name during the Soviet era, and met Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's daughter, Svetlana
Svetlana Alliluyeva
Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva , later known as Lana Peters, was the youngest child and only daughter of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and Nadezhda Alliluyeva, Stalin's second wife...
.
Since 1998, Cohen has been professor of Russian Studies and History at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he teaches a course titled Russia Since 1917. He previously taught at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He has written several books, including, Rethinking the Soviet Experience: Politics and History Since 1917; Sovieticus: American and Soviet Realities; Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution: A Political Biography, 1888-1938; Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post-Communist Russia; and most recently, Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War. He is also a CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
consultant as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. Cohen has appeared on the Charlie Rose Show thirty times as of May 2007.
Cohen has a son and a daughter from his first marriage to opera singer Lynne Blair, from whom he is divorced. Cohen is now married to Katrina vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel is the editor, publisher, and part-owner of the magazine The Nation. She has been the magazine's editor since 1995. She is a frequent guest on numerous television programs...
, editor of the progressive magazine The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, where he is also a contributing editor. They have one daughter.
Publications
- Essay The Friends and Foes of Change. Reformism and Conservatism in the Soviet Union in: Alexander DallinAlexander DallinProfessor Alexander Dallin served as Raymond A. Spruance Professor of International History, in the Center for Russian and East European Studies at Stanford University...
/Gail W. Lapidus (eds.): The Soviet System. From Crisis to Collapse, Westview Press, Boulder/San Francisco/Oxford 2005 ISBN 0-8133-1876-9